Cruiserweight Antonio Tarver tests positive for steroid

Cruiserweight contender and former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver has tested positive for an anabolic steroid for his fight against Lateefe Kayode on June 2.

During a pre-fight urine test, The California State Athletic Commission, which conducted the test, revealed Friday that Tarver tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanalone, which is often used by bodybuilders and athletes as a weight-cutting agent. Used regularly it gives muscles a more defined look. It is commonly known by the name Masteron.

The CSAC has suspended Tarver, and fined him $2,500. On Friday night, Tarver issued a statement that read:

"I have always been a proponent of a clean sport and an advocate for the most rigorous drug testing in boxing. The positive test results came as a complete surprise to me today. I will be examining every potential cause and ultimately, I am confident that my fans will see that I was not at anytime attempting to gain an unfair or illegal advantage in my performance."

Tarver, 43, and Kayode fought to a draw on June 2 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Tarver also said in a statement that he would appeal the decision and list everything he ingested before the June 2 fight.

Tarver is also a ringside analyst for Showtime, and was scheduled to work Saturday's night's welterweight fight between Victor Ortiz and Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center. The Showtime broadcast will begin at 9 p.m. ET.

However, the network has decided that Tarver will not work this fight, releasing a statement that read: "We were made aware of the California State Athletic Commission's report regarding Antonio Tarver's positive drug test following his last fight on June 2 this afternoon. Out of respect for the fighters competing on Saturday night, Antonio and the network have mutually agreed that he will not serve as color analyst for the June 23rd boxing telecast."

Tarver is the third major fighter to test positive in the last few months. Light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson tested positive during the leadup to his rematch with Amir Khan, causing that fight to be canceled. And Andre Berto tested positive during training for his rematch with Victor Ortiz. That fight was canceled as well.

Promoter Gary Shaw, who handles Kayode, lamented Friday night that the positive test is another hit the sport cannot afford to take.

"It's very worrisome where our sport is heading these days with the recent array of fighters testing positive for banned substances," Shaw said. "With all these fights being canceled its killing the sport and I hope the networks are not going to lose interest. As promoters, we do our best to make sure everyone is abiding by the rules. I'm happy that the commissions are stepping up their stance on catching fighters cheating because the safety of the fighter should always come first.

"It's unfortunate that in Lateef Kayode's first major opportunity, he had to fight on what appears to be an unlevel playing field. I have a lot of respect for Antonio Tarver and would be very disappointed to find out that he knowingly took performance enhancing drugs. It is my hope that Tarver requests that the B sample will be tested and will show that Tarver was clean. However if the sample comes back dirty, then the commission should take appropriate action. It was a very close fight as it was ruled a split draw, but now that we have been informed by the California State Athletic Commission about the alleged drug use, I'll have to talk to Lateef and his management team to see what we'll do to resolve this matter."

Shaw wasn't finished.

"In addition, the horrible scoring by the judges, the excessive use of PED's, and the inability of promoters working together, is only going to kill this sport,'' he continued. "Something needs to be done and major changes need to be made, and the time is now.

"The boxing business is getting worse by the day and we are losing fans by the minute. Boxing has been around longer than any other sport and we must keep the integrity of the game pure."

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.

About Reid and Mike

Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.

He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.

Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.